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Unique cars, boats and planes land at Key Largo vintage weekend

December 5, 2011

1 of 10The 1930 Stutz two-door coupe of William T. Gacioch awaits its turn in the spotlights of Ocean Reef's Vintage Weekend. The long trunk was custom built to accommodate the luggage belonging to the wife of the original owner.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

2 of 10The 1954 EMW 327/3 known as Emma is seen with its owner, Rocky Grady. The car was a product of an East German BMW factory that was appropriated after World War II.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

3 of 10A pair of Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts wait for their turn at Ocean Reef's Vintage Weekend. In front is a 1914 Open Tourer owned by Don and Darby Wathne; at rear is Walt and Jean Zeigler's 1926 Roadster.

7 of 10The 1962 Mack Conventional takes its turn in the spotlights of Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend. It is owned by Granvil Tracy of Miami.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

8 of 10A Burger Yacht basks in the Florida sunshine at the Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend. Burger Yachts were the featured marque for this year's event.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

9 of 10The rocket-powered bicycle of Bob Schwartz plows down the runway of Ocean Reef Airport. The bike's speed was held to about 50 mph due to strong headwinds during the event.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

10 of 10The 1942 F8F Bearcat of John O'Connor awaits its turn in the flight line of the Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend. It is one of the last airworthy examples of this plane.

Photo by MARK ELIAS

The 17th-annual Vintage Weekend, held the first weekend in December, signifies the start of "the season" for Key Largo's Ocean Reef Club. Sure, it's a display of classic motor yachts and airplanes, but here the car is still star. That is, if you exclude Bob Schwartz's rocket-powered bicycle, which saw 50-mph passes on the runway at Ocean Reef's airport. Schwartz claimed he could have gone faster but was limited because of strong headwinds.

With the best selection of participants yet, the Vintage Weekend has hosted numerous Best in Show winners from Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, Meadow Brook and other concours d'elegance events around the country. Entries for 2011 included the stately if avant garde, a 1931 Avions Voisin C20 Mylord Demi-Berline of John W. Rich, and the unusual--the 1930 Stutz Two-Door coupe of William T. Gacioch originally commissioned by Adolph Schneider and custom outfitted with an extended body and trunk to accommodate the prodigious luggage collection of Mrs. Schneider.

Other notables included the 1954 EMW 327/3 of Rocky and Henry Grady of Palm City, Fla. What's an EMW, you ask? A product of the BMW Eisenach factory in East Germany following World War II. It was operated by the Soviets and given over to the East Germans, who had to change the name from BMW to Eisenacher Motorenwerk (EMW). Emma, as she is known, appeared resplendent in Bolshevik Red and Black, along with the car's owner and caretaker, Rocky Grady.

Dockside, antique yachts from such builders as Rybovich and Trumpy joined featured marque Burger Yacht Builders in holding open-house tours. Shoes on the dock (it is customary to remove shoes before boarding) attested to the popularity of Marty Sutter's 108-foot Burger Chanticleer.

On the aircraft side, the range included Juan Robbin's 1957 classic Piper Super Cub, a 1942 Ryan PT-22 trainer owned by John Nordt, and John O'Connor's 1942 F8F Bearcat in Blue Angels colors. The People's Choice award went to Tim Patterson for his 1952 polished-skin Beech 18.

The Vintage Weekend is not a judged event, but according to committee member Ron Elenbaas, it's an event held "only for fun." Visitors to the normally private club (opened to the public during the Vintage Weekend) can vote on various awards. Click here for more information.